Social Media Reshaping Fundraising: A Story of a Little Boy with a Big Dream

An Internet video called “Caine’s Arcade” went viral after five million people logged in to see a little boy Caine McCoy who lives in Los Angeles, California make his wish to come true.
The video tells the story of nine-year old Caine who used cardboard boxes, scissors, tape and other things to build an arcade, in his father’s used-car-parts store. Children often play the games and start an occasional business of selling lemonade in the neighborhood stand. Caine, however, whose cardboard-box arcade grew not only out of the boy’s love for arcades and games and the magnificence of play, but also a remarkable understanding of the business he was trying to emulate.

Caine’s first customer was Nirvan Mullick, a Los Angeles based indie-filmmaker. Nirvan organized the flashmob, helped stage the event and promote the video. Caine’s ingenuity alone was not enough, he needed a support from the community and a word on the Internet to spread the news about his business venture. All the vision in the world amounts to nothing if you have no customers. The internet helps to tap into niche commerce, bringing enourmous potential and like-minded people together in new and exciting ways.

Caine’s Arcade is important for more than the viral nature of the story itself; it shows how the internet community can be tapped into using social media, nostalgia, and some traditional networking. More importantly, the internet is changing how the whole world does business by bringing the whole world closer together.

The success of “Caine’s Arcade” video has gone beyond cute raising $164,000 and counting to be sent to the Caine’s Arcade Scholarship Fund at his website.To some media experts, it shows the potential for social-media fundraising to harness the forces of the web for good.

The real promise of the internet is not so much that it will make nostalgic enterprises like Caine’s Arcade flourish, but rather that it will lead to a world in which ingenuity leads the pack.